Chapter 125: A Ruse of Self-Inflicted Suffering?

The little courtyard suspended in the air had become the scene of an explosion, reduced to utter chaos.

“Demon fox, get out of my way!” A youth in red spread his arms and soared several yards into the air. Looking down from above, he issued a warning with a sharp cry.

The Demon King was in a truly sorry state. His silver robe had long since been dyed crimson with blood. Clutching his chest tightly with one hand, he gritted his teeth and struggled to rise from the ground. His brows lifted, and he twisted his blood-streaked lips into an evil smile.

“Heh heh. So what if you’re a divine beast? You feathered red bird, let me see what you’re really capable of!”

His eyes turned vicious. His form blurred, and he suddenly revealed his true body.

Alas, after such a fierce battle, he had exhausted every talisman and magical treasure at his disposal. His opponent was simply too formidable. He had no choice but to fight in his original form.

A silver nine-tailed fox crouched low, its nine enormous, fluffy tails fanning out like palm-leaf fans. It tilted its head upward and bared its teeth at the youth in red.

The youth in red frowned, his eyes filled with disdain.

“Beast, do you think this form will let you fight me? I know how difficult it was for you to cultivate for ten thousand years, and you rendered meritorious service by protecting Feng Ke’er. I will not hold this against you. Step aside at once.”

Though he said this aloud, his right hand had already formed a spell beneath his sleeve, and every muscle in his body was on guard.

Hmph. This low creature was notorious for its cunning. He had better be cautious.

Miss Feng had still not appeared. Could it be that she really had left long ago?

The fox’s narrow eyes gleamed with murderous resolve. Throwing back its head, the Demon King let out a long howl.

“Aaaah!”

A violent gale erupted. The nine tails rose upright with metallic clangs, like nine sharp swords.

“Then you’ll have to step over my corpse!”

“Courting death!”

The youth’s expression darkened. With a flick of his right hand, he sent a golden sword aura shooting through the air.

It was as swift as lightning and as fleeting as a violent wind. It tore through the sky, heading straight for the outermost fox tail and seemingly about to sever it at the waist.

Unexpectedly, the silver fox revealed a strange smile.

That fox tail suddenly transformed into a gleaming silver shield.

With a loud clang, the sword aura was actually deflected, flying straight back toward the youth’s face. It was at least twice as fast as before.

“Hmph!”

The youth neither dodged nor retreated. He merely swept out a sleeve and dispersed it with ease.

In that instant, the silver fox leaped into the air. With all its strength, it brought both forepaws crashing down and roared, “Mountain-Splitting Claw!”

Heh heh. Everyone knew that his greatest talents lay in formations and restrictions, but no one knew that the Mountain-Splitting Claw was his most powerful killing move.

Just as expected, the youth could not evade it in time. The force of the claws swept across his left shoulder. He hissed in pain, hurriedly steadied himself, and flicked the four fingers of his right hand in succession.

“Go to hell!”

Four golden sword auras shot toward the silver fox like falling stars.

These four sword auras were far more fierce than the first. Moreover, the silver fox was still suspended in midair. How could it possibly evade them?

“Aaah!”

It cried out repeatedly and fell from the sky. Blood poured forth like a broken dam. Four of its tails had been severed at the roots.

The nine-tailed silver fox had become a five-tailed blood fox.

I have to risk everything!

Gritting its teeth, the silver fox rolled across the ground and suddenly vanished.

Where had it gone?

Suspended in midair, the youth in red could not help staring blankly. He knitted his brows, gathered his concentration, and searched in every direction.

Bang! Bang!

His vision suddenly went black.

Two furry blood-red paws appeared before his eyes.

“Ah!” the youth cried out in alarm and retreated again and again.

Unfortunately, he was still a fraction too slow.

One side of his face seemed to catch fire. A searing pain spread across it.

“Go to hell!”

The youth in red kicked away the silver fox, which had appeared out of nowhere. With a piercing cry, he too revealed his true form.

He was a fire phoenix!

A sealed memory burst open in Feng Ke’er’s mind with a bang, and she fell into a daze.

Feng Jiu? Could it really be him?

The silver fox had already been seriously wounded. That last kick had struck directly at his core sea. Injured on top of his existing injuries, he lay sprawled on the ground, unable to move. Blood gurgled from his mouth as though a faucet had been opened.

“Heh heh. A divine beast... is nothing special after all.”

He rolled his eyes provocatively at the red-feathered bird hovering overhead.

“Die!”

The red-feathered bird opened its beak and spat out a ball of blazing flame.

“Stop!”

A furious shout suddenly rang through the air. A black shadow flashed, and sword wind erupted. A mass of black sword blossoms enveloped the flames.

Swish, swish, swish!

The flames were cleaved into countless sparks that scattered in every direction.

What an astonishingly fast sword!

Feng Ke’er finally let out a breath of relief.

A sturdy man dressed in black, wielding a broad sword, stood imposingly in front of the silver fox. He raised his head and called out:

“My friend is indeed a lowly demon beast, and he was gravely mistaken to offend the esteemed Lord Fire Phoenix. However, my lord has already cursed him and beaten him. Meanwhile, my friend’s core sea has suffered severe damage, destroying ten thousand years of cultivation and leaving his life hanging by a thread. Though I am unworthy, may I ask whether my lord is satisfied now?”

As he spoke, he released a wave of pressure toward the red-feathered bird.

The wound on the youth’s left shoulder, along with the injury on his face, immediately doubled in severity.

The fire phoenix gave a soft snort before transforming back into the youth in red. Suppressing the anger surging wildly within him, he answered coldly, “Of course, of course. You are too courteous, honored sir.”

The newcomer’s cultivation was no lower than his own. Had he not been injured, he might still have been able to fight him on equal terms, but now...

There would be plenty of time in the future.

He shot a sinister glance at the silver fox behind the man in black, pressed his lips tightly together, and turned around with a flourish. Then he mounted his sword and flew away.

In the blink of an eye, his figure became a tiny speck on the horizon.

Feng Ke’er frowned. Something about the situation felt strangely wrong.

Outside, the man in black squatted down with concern and fed a scarlet pill to the blood-covered silver fox.

“Are you still holding on?”

The silver fox swallowed the medicine and forced the corners of his mouth upward in a smile.

“Don’t worry. I won’t die anytime soon.”

The pill seemed to take effect. As soon as he finished speaking, he returned to human form. However, his formerly beautiful face had lost all its radiance. He looked haggard and pale as paper, without the slightest trace of color.

“Give me a hand.”

“What are you putting yourself through this for? That girl may have left long ago.”

The man in black shook his head helplessly and helped him sit upright.

The Demon King sat cross-legged, with the five vital points of his body turned upward. Just as he was about to close his eyes and circulate his energy, he heard those words and opened his eyes. He gazed at the man in silence, but his voice was unshakably firm.

“Whether she is here or not, she disappeared from this courtyard. Since I said I would become her soul-bound guardian beast, then even if it costs me my life, I must protect this place. I will not allow anyone else to harbor designs upon it.”

The man in black glared at him.

“Fine, fine. Guard it all you like. I only hope that when that girl ascends, she will still remember you, you foolish fox.”

Inwardly, he muttered, Idiot. She stole your pocket dimension. For all you know, she’s hiding somewhere and cultivating with all her might.

“I’ll take that as a blessing.”

The Demon King grinned.

“Miss Feng is a responsible person, not the sort you describe. I trust my own judgment. I’m going to heal my injuries. Do me the favor of protecting me while I cultivate.”

With that, he closed his eyes again, moved both hands, and formed a spell before his chest.

“Fine. I suppose I owe you.”

The man in black spat toward him, but then took out a set of formation flags and began arranging a protective formation nearby.

Once he had finished, he also sat down and began meditating.

The little courtyard in the air immediately fell silent.

Was that youth in red really Feng Jiu? He seemed to have come looking for her. Why had the two of them started fighting? Could there be some misunderstanding between them? And who was that man in black? It was impossible to see through his cultivation. Did he possess a magical treasure that concealed his power, or was his cultivation simply unfathomably profound?

For a time, Feng Ke’er’s head filled with questions.

What a headache!

She lowered her head and looked at her core sea, then asked with a bitter expression, “Could this be some sort of sympathy ploy?”

After advancing in cultivation, her eyesight had become even more extraordinary. Through two layers of spatial barriers, she could tell that although the fox spirit appeared gravely wounded, his injuries were nowhere near as severe as the man in black had claimed.

Of his nine fox tails, only one had been born naturally. The other eight were manifestations of cultivation. As long as his cultivation remained intact, they would regrow on their own before long.

The only slightly troublesome injury was the damage to his core sea. But she could also see that the pill given to him by the man in black was highly effective. After circulating his energy for only one complete cycle, the fox’s injuries had already healed by more than half. At this rate, after no more than three cycles, the damage to his core sea would be largely repaired.

All right. People saw what they wished to see, and the wise judged according to their own wisdom. She admitted that her thoughts had been far too dark. The fox spirit truly possessed a pure and loyal heart...

Well, his loyalty could be witnessed by heaven and earth. He was capable, clever, and perhaps he would indeed make a suitable soul-bound guardian beast.

The thousand Nascent Souls had not yet cultivated enough divine power to speak. Upon hearing this, they first looked at one another in bewilderment. Then, in perfect unison, they nodded vigorously before shaking their heads just as energetically.

If Feng Ke’er had not shared a single mind with them and been completely connected to their thoughts, she would have been thoroughly confused.

What they meant was that the possibility of a sympathy ploy could not be ruled out.

A soul-bound guardian beast? You are not lacking in helpers! Nor do you intend to contend for the position of leader of that lower-realm cultivation alliance. Why take a soul-bound guardian beast?

All right, this had originally been someone else’s idea.

Feng Ke’er curled her lips.

She knew asking these creatures was pointless. She was clearly just talking to herself.

She felt a little regretful. Cultivation was lonely. Should she have allowed these creatures to retain a little of their own consciousness from the beginning? That way, whenever she encountered a problem, she would at least have someone to discuss it with.

But then she remembered the spectacular chaos that had ensued when the thousand Nascent Souls had initially held different opinions and argued endlessly, and she shuddered violently.

The internal conflict had been too great. She could not afford it.

It was better for everyone to share a single mind.

By a fortunate accident, she had stumbled upon a new cultivation method and discovered a way to advance without fighting monsters. Moreover, with the spatial orb accelerating time once again, one day outside now equaled a year within.

She truly could not bear to leave.

With such a tremendous opportunity in hand, and ascension within reach once the passage opened, she had better not waste any time. Accelerating her cultivation was the true path to victory!

Feng Ke’er gathered her thoughts and bent over her work, weaving the spatial orb.

Now that she had advanced, the three-yard-diameter spatial orb she had made before could only be considered child’s play. This time, she planned to practice by weaving one ten yards in diameter.

Meanwhile, in the little courtyard, after healing the injuries to his core sea, the Demon King swallowed ten more restorative pills in one breath and restored all nine of his fox tails.

By the time his treatment was complete, three days had passed.

His complexion had returned to normal, and he was once again the androgynously beautiful demon he had always been. Only the “blood robe” covering his body remained painfully conspicuous.

He snapped his fingers and released a cleansing spell. The blood-red robe transformed back into an elegant silver gown.

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. Ten sets of high-grade illusion formations.”

The man in black opened his eyes and sprang to his feet.

“You’re taking advantage of my situation!”

The Demon King bared his teeth.

The man in black grinned and chuckled. Patting his backside, he prepared to leave.

“I’ll come collect them in ten days.”

The Demon King hurriedly grabbed his sleeve and pulled a miserable face.

“My friend, I’ve only just recovered from serious injuries...”

At that moment, a deep rumbling sound came from the front right. Immediately afterward, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.

The Demon King froze for a moment, then quickly came to his senses. He seized the man in black by the arm and shook it vigorously.

“The ground is shaking. Did you feel that?”

What nonsense! With such a commotion, how could anyone fail to feel it?

The man in black stared at him strangely.

“I knew it! She’s still here! She definitely wouldn’t leave!”

By the time the Demon King finished speaking, tears were already streaming down his face.

Mou Feng bows in thanks to Old Ye 9966 for the pink votes. Thank you.

Also, with the New Year approaching, Mou Feng wishes everyone a happy New Year. May 2013 bring you strong health and abundant good fortune!

To be continued.

The Heaven-Through Codex, Chapter 125: Was It a Sympathy Ploy? — End of chapter.